Sunday, July 12, 2015

An old friend I never got to meet.

Now for those of you who aren't as familiar with the people in the gaming industry, this is Satoru Iwata. He's was the CEO of Nintendo for quite some time. Along with Miyomoto, Reggie, and Sakurai, they ran the S.S.NES across vast virtual seas with many of us who were willing to sail along.

He was an adept game developer, worked on coding for Pokemon, Balloon Fight and Earthbound. A true pioneer for the industry. While some of us didn't always agree with his decisions, you'd be hard pressed to deny the kind of impact he has left in his legacy.

It's a pretty big deal, that the flag outside Nintendo HQ in Japan is at half mast right now. He had one of the hardest jobs in the industry, yet maintain the quality of life that the rest of the gaming industry should really take after. He is one of the very VERY few CEOs that understood the need for success and sacrifice, an example is that after the disappointing sales of the Wii U he volunteered his own salary to be cut in half so the company could stay afloat.

For the industry, it's a very big loss. And I want to thank you for all you have done in your service.

He among with many others in his position created a means of entertainment. We would spend hours infront of the television watching pixels move about the screen. For some, it was another past time, a hobby. For others it was the escape for those with a turbulant life such as myself. Where people would never understand our need to stick with the world of gaming, back when it was considered a very geeky (taboo even) way of living. For example, I lived in a world full of constant misery, be it my own family, friends, and the rest of the world when I was forced to deal with the dark side of humanity. It looked like there was no escape from the hell that was created for me to endure for most of my life until 1989, when I begged my parents for a Nintendo. It was then I was introduced to the wide world of videogames, a place to escape to. A world of happiness that needed any willing participant to answer it's call whether it was a princess or two that needed saving, helping bipedal animals stop a simian megalomaniac, or to aid a bounty hunter navigate a mysterious planet.

If I had a bad day at school, issues with the people at work, or members of my family would put me down to make themselves feel better, or being betrayed by people I once called friends, gaming was always there to cheer me up.

I'm sure there will be some insensitive SOB that will roll their eyes reading this, probably someone very close to me. And frankly I don't care about them, not like I used to... that is how gaming changed me for the better. It was also good to know that there are millions of likeminded people who share this sentiment. (Or so I hope!)